


whatever you do, don't let go

by chahakyn



Category: Monsta X (Band), Transistor (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-26 13:26:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19769137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chahakyn/pseuds/chahakyn
Summary: This wasn’t how the gala was supposed to go.





	whatever you do, don't let go

**Author's Note:**

> Transistor Hoseok- [in brackets]  
> Kihyun’s voice/thoughts- italics

_< OVC >_

_The City of Cloudbank, Only for You._ USER AUTHENTICATED. WELCOME, VISITOR.

_Process’ Fears Grow Poll: Tomorrow’s Weather Hungry? Grab a Bite! Breaking News_

_Breaking News >>_

Cloudbank’s Stars Continue to Fall

**Another Cloudbank celebrity disappears without a trace.**

Posted 05-14-67 by Kirsten Chae, Associate Editor

**Designated Mildly Urgent**

Fans and citizens alike mourn the disappearance of one of Cloudbank’s brightest stars, beloved singer Kihyun. One of the many who have vanished in the past few months, Kihyun was scheduled to sing at Saturday night’s gala, but never arrived on stage. He now joins the legion of missing Cloudbank celebrities that we search for and grieve the loss of. Citizens are urged to remain alert and to report any and all suspicious activity to any terminals in place.

_Post Comment >> Sign Out >>_

_Signing Out…_

* * *

_Ugh, my head_.

Kihyun stands, stumbling slightly. His hand finds purchase against a building wall, vision blurring for a moment as he squints. Everything looks familiar in a hazy sort of way, lights winking pleasantly in his vision. Kihyun shakes his head in a desperate attempt to clear the fog, fingers tightening against the brick.

[Kihyun?]

Kihyun’s head whips up, heart instantly racing.

_Hoseok_.

He immediately doubles over, images rushing into his mind in droves. _Memories_.

The Camerata, backstage, pre-show. Taeyong’s arm sliding around Kihyun’s shoulders, voice soft and soothing as he gently turns Kihyun away from the stage.

_What do you need me to do, Tae? I can help, I can help-_

_Just listen to me._

A flash of something at the corner of Kihyun’s eye, something blue.

_I’m sorry_.

The regret in Taeyong’s eyes. Kihyun turning around, hands flying up in alarm at the _sword_ aimed at him. Feelings of fear, regret, and then only calm acceptance. Hoseok moving so quickly, stepping in front of Kihyun like it’s nothing. A flash blue and a body crumbling-

[Kihyun?]

Kihyun sinks to his knees, tears tracking down his face as his hands curl into fists.

[Hey, Ki. It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.]

Kihyun takes a shuddering breath, scrubbing his cheeks viciously as he looks up. He can see a body a few feet away, that damned blue sword jutting out at an odd angle. Hoseok’s body. His stomach rolls, breathing turning shallow again.

[C’mere?]

Kihyun braces himself against the wall, closing his eyes and taking another deep breath before standing up and crossing the distance to Hoseok’s body. He looks down, unsure, fingers clenching and unclenching.

[Hey. Missed you.]

The lights in the sword flash in tune with Hoseok’s voice. Kihyun opens his mouth to let out a watery laugh, freezing as no sound emerges. His fingers rise to his throat, pressing and feeling about in dismay. 

[Oh?]

Kihyun takes a deep breath, and sings. But nothing emerges. He takes an even deeper breath and screams. Still, nothing.

[Oh no, Ki. Your voice.]

Kihyun chews the inside of his mouth, fingers twisting together. He can feel his own breathing getting shorter, hysteria rising in his throat. First Hoseok, now this? His voice, his life’s work, the one thing he prided most, what Cloudbank loved him for. Gone. His nails dig deep into his palms, cutting into the skin.

[Hey, it’s okay. Breathe, _breathe_. We’ll figure it out. We always do.]

The lights flash again, almost soothingly. Kihyun blinks tears from his vision, hand coming up to rest tentatively on the sword hilt. The metal is warm, pulsing ever so gently under his skin.

[Pull.]

Kihyun balks for a moment, hand jerking away in panic.

[Pull it. Please.]

Kihyun pauses and sighs before tentatively gripping the sword’s handle, wincing as it jostles Hoseok’s body. He gives it a hard yank, stumbling backwards as the sword releases and scrapes dissonantly against the cobblestones.

[There. Together again. Sort of.]

Kihyun only stares at the air in front of him, Hoseok’s words barely registering. He can see words appearing in his vision, “Transistor. Kills today: 1”

_You’re dead, then. Really dead._

[But you’re alright. That’s all that matters.]

Kihyun inhales sharply, glancing down at Hoseok’s body for a second before turning away. He looks around, moving forward as he lets the Transistor drags behind him.

The city looks different than…before. These weird boxes everywhere, light pulsating from within.

_The Process, wasn’t that what they had been calling it?_

Kihyun wracks his brain, trying desperately to remember the OVC terminal news reports he'd read. It definitely hadn’t been this bad before the show. Had they done all this? Did the Transistor have to do with any of it?

An eerie rattling noise trickles into Kihyun’s field of awareness. He spins around, grip tightening on the Transistor’s handle as he comes face to face with three-legged white creature. A creature of the Process.

[Oh. They’ve found us already. Looks like they want you.]

Kihyun takes a step back, nearly stumbling over the Transistor in his haste. He glances down, eyes flicking between this creature and the Transistor.

As the creature scuttles closer, the red gaze of its eyes unrelenting, Kihyun makes a reckless choice. He heaves the Transistor up in the air, faltering for a moment under its unfamiliar weight, before bringing it down with a crash. The creature skitters back in pain, white skin glitching about it in sharp shapes.

Kihyun feels a surge of strength rush through his arms (his brain just registering how _right_ that felt) before he lifts the Transistor and strikes again, again, _again_.

[Nice.]

The Process creature fades with one last groan, the red glow of its eyes lingering just a little too long. Kihyun leans against the Transistor for a moment, heart racing in his chest. He can see the lights of the Transistor flicker, can almost hear Hoseok’s hum of approval. It feels strange, everything that has happened in the last few hours. His heart aches for Hoseok, for his singing, for the life he used to have.

But the hum of the Transistor under his fingers, the metal grip biting into his fingers; it’s all so foreign, but he’s sure of it. He’s sure of what he has to do.

[Okay then, let’s go.]

**Author's Note:**

> got so much love for transistor in me, so it only made sense to throw my favorite boys into the beautiful, sci-fi world that is cloudbank! started this with the idea that i’d cover the whole game, but i stopped here and liked it. mayhaps i’ll continue it in the future… 
> 
> come talk to me on [tumblr ](https://shizuoi.tumblr.com)and [twitter](https://twitter.com/peachyminhyk)


End file.
